FEM-based oxygen consumption and cell viability models for avascular pancreatic islets

Background  

The function and viability of cultured, transplanted, or encapsulated pancreatic islets is often limited by hypoxia because these islets have lost their vasculature during the isolation process and have to rely on gradient-driven passive diffusion, which cannot provide adequate oxygen transport. Pancreatic islets (islets of Langerhans) are particularly susceptible due to their relatively large size, large metabolic demand, and increased sensitivity to hypoxia. Here, finite element method (FEM) based multiphysics models are explored to describe oxygen transport and cell viability in avascular islets both in static and in moving culture media.     

HDL-induced cardiac prostacyclin synthesis: relative contribution of HDL apoprotein and lipid

The objective of this study was to determine if the apoprotein or lipid constituents of high density lipoproteins (HDL) mediate HDL-induced prostacyclin synthesis in the Langendorff-perfused rabbit heart. Acetylation, acetoacetylation, or partial removal by trypsin digestion of HDL apoprotein did not reduce the ability of the lipoprotein to stimulate cardiac prostacyclin synthesis. Delipidated apoproteins were less effective in stimulating cardiac prostacyclin synthesis in comparison to intact HDL. In contrast, protein-free lipid vesicles, made from HDL lipids, caused a pronounced stimulation of cardiac prostacyclin synthesis. These results suggest that HDL apoproteins, in their native state, are not essential for HDL-induced cardiac prostacyclin synthesis. The stimulation of cardiac prostacyclin synthesis by HDL may depend on the lipoprotein's lipid rather than on its apoprotein constituents.     

Adaptation of the tetrazolium method for testing the seed viability, and scanning electron microscopy study of some Western European orchids

A modified tetrazolium method was formulated for use with seeds of Western European orchids. The sequence of treatments which gave the highest percentage of coloured (i.e. viable) embryos was: (1) pretreatment in a solution of 5% (w/v) Ca(OCl)₂+ 1% (v/v) Tween-80, (2) soaking for 1 day in sterile water, (3) the classical tetrazolium test. The optimal duration of the pretreatment in Ca(OCl)₂+ Tween-80 depends upon the species, and to investigate the effect a scanning electron microscopy study was performed on the testa of 3 species. For a given species, the optimal pretreatment period was not affected by the year of harvest or the source of the seed lots.     

Chromosome transfer and R-prime formation by an RP4::mini-Mu derivative in Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Proteus mirabilis

We have introduced into the wide host range conjugative plasmid RP4, a mini-Mu derivative which was known to be able to transpose spontaneously in E. coli K-12, and to induce in such a host several kinds of chromosomal rearrangements including replicon fusions. Unlike RP4, RP4::mini-Mu can mediate the transfer of the host chromosome to a recipient bacterium and generate R primes at high frequencies (10^?4 for the transfer of a given marker, 10^?5 for the formation of R primes carrying a given marker). Two such RP4::mini-Mu plasmids were introduced into one Salmonella typhimurium strain, one Klebsiella pneumoniae strain, and one Proteus mirabilis strain. Each of these three strains were mated with an E. coli K-12 recipient and transconjugants carrying R primes were recovered in all three cases at frequencies ranging from 5 × 10^?6 to 10^?7.     

Hexapeptide analogue of somatostatin, Sandoz 201-456. Conformational study in dimethylsulfoxide by 1D and 2D n.m.r. methods

The conformational properties of the somatostatin analogue 201-456 (1) have been studied by high field n.m.r. in DMSO. This analogue is the base structure of nine derivates synthesized by Bauer et al. and shows a very low biological activity, although derived structures such as SMS 201-995 (2) are very potent. Our study has shown an important difference between the most stable conformation of the two compounds: although the beta turn type II' structure at the Phe3-Trp4-Lys5 level is present in both analogues, an important conformational change appears at the cystine bridge. In SMS 201-995 the beta turn/beta sheet conformation is stabilized by the additional amino-acids D-Phe1 and Thr8 (ol) through intramolecular H-bonds.     

Calcium-stimulated myofibrillar ATPase activity correlates with shortening velocity of muscle fibres in Xenopus laevis

Summary The iliofibularis muscle ofXenopus laevis is reported to contain five types of fibres which have different force—velocity relationships. Ten fibres of each type were selected on the basis of succinate dehydrogenase activity, cross-sectional area and location in the muscle, in order to assess the validity of the fibre type classification.Maximum calcium-stimulated myofibrillar ATPase activity (V _max) and apparent Michaelis constant (K _m) for ATP were determined for these 50 fibres from serial sections. The values obtained varied according to the type of fibre. Type 1 had the highest and type 5 the lowest values forK _m andV _max.In a separate experiment, single freeze-dried fibres were used to determine the relationship between their ATP content and apparentK _m for ATP. There was a tendency for high ATP concentrations in fibres with highK _m values.When myofibrillar ATPase activity was related to the maximum velocity of shortening of the five fibre types, a significant correlation was found. It is concluded that calcium-stimulated myofibrillar ATPase histochemistry allows an estimate of the maximum shortening velocity of muscle fibres fromXenopus laevis.